French appeals court confirms life sentence for Paris metro bomber

An appeals court has upheld the life sentence handed down to Algerian-born Rachid Ramda for plotting the 1995 Paris metro bombings that left ten dead and more than 200 injured. Ramda will serve at least 22 years behind bars.

REUTERS - A French appeals court upheld a life sentence for an Algerian-born man jailed for helping to arrange a spate of 1995 bomb attacks on the Paris underground rail network that killed 10 people and wounded scores of others.
 
Rachid Ramda was originally sentenced in 2007 for his role in the attacks, having come to trial after a 10 year battle to avoid extradition from Britain.
 
Ramda, who prosecutors say was a key figure in Algeria's radical Armed Islamic Group (GIA), was sentenced to 10 years in prison for terrorist conspiracy linked to the bombing campaign in 2006, before his life sentence on a separate charge in 2007.
 
In 2007, the Paris court ordered Ramda to serve a minimum 22 years behind bars for his role in the attacks, the worst bombings on mainland France since World War Two.
 

Date created : 2009-10-14